A Zimbabwean citizen, Tatenda Banga, has pleaded guilty to two federal felonies in the U.S. District Court in Seattle. The charges relate to his illegal crossing from Canada into Washington State and subsequent criminal activities. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced that Banga admitted to being an unlawful alien in possession of firearms and possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute. His sentencing is set for June 12, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead.
The plea agreement reveals that on January 3, 2024, U.S. Border Patrol technology captured an image of Banga entering the United States near Ross Lake with a longarm shotgun. Later that day, he was seen defacing another camera near the border but managed to evade capture by fleeing into the woods. A loaded Winchester shotgun matching the one in surveillance images was found abandoned at the scene.
On December 27, 2024, further cross-border activity was detected when a National Park Service canoe containing a machete and food wrappers was discovered near Ross Dam. Surveillance cameras recorded someone with a headlamp and backpack moving toward the border.
Banga was later spotted walking along Highway 20 near Ross Lake by Border Patrol agents who recognized him from earlier surveillance footage. During an immigration inspection, he could not provide documentation proving legal entry or presence in the U.S., leading to his arrest. He was found carrying scales, gelatin capsules, and approximately 1.4 pounds of MDMA.
Upon rerunning fingerprints from the recovered shotgun against those on file after Banga's arrest, they matched his prints confirming his involvement with the firearm found earlier in January 2024.
The charge of being an unlawful alien in possession of a firearm carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment while possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute can result in up to 20 years imprisonment. Judge Whitehead will determine Banga's sentence based on sentencing guidelines and statutory factors.
This case involved investigations by multiple agencies including U.S Border Patrol Blaine Sector Anti-Smuggling Unit; National Park Service; ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Prosecution is handled by Assistant United States Attorney Dane A Westermeyer alongside Special Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Collins.